Thread-holding pincers for the cleansing of interdental and intermolar spaces



y 6, 1948. D. v. FREYRE 2,444,697

THREAD-HOLDING FINGERS FOR THE CLEANSING OF INTERDENI'AL AND INTERMOLAR SPACES Filed Sept. 12, 1945 3 N 3mm rva iezwm re,

Patented July 6, 1948 UNIT ED STATES F 4 2;444,69m.

THREAD-HOLDING PINCERS FOR THE CLEANSING 0F INTERDENTAL AND- INTERMOLAR SPACES Daniel Vidal Freyre,.Buenos Aires, Argentina Application September 12, 1945, Serial No. 615,784 In Argentina August 18,1945

4 Claims. (Cl. 132-92) This invention relates to improvements in thread-holding pincers for cleaning interdental: and intermolar spaces, having for its main object the adapting of said pincers to certain constructive'and functional improvements, making it possible to. obtain. evident advantages inthe use of same;

Thisinvention likewise includes other secondary objects, which will-appear from the following description, and in order that. the invention may be: readily understood and carried into effect, a preferred embodiment of onev of its more usual forms-has been explainedain detail-in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings, in which:

Figure-1 is a longitudinal section of the threadh'olding pincers: according to; this invention, and asseen from out A-.-A ofFigure 3.

Figure 2 is a transverse cross sectionof the same pincers, taken along the line. BB: of' Figure 1, and finally-z Figure 3 is an: assembly detail of the same pincers seen from one of: its ends.

Like numerals refer to like parts inthe several figuresiof the drawings.

According to these drawings, the novel pincers are'formed; by two armpieces' Ii andl made-of resiliente material, and being an integral partof headpiece 2. The headpiece or base 2 contains a=.cylindrically shapedorifice 3,1which enters and extends axially and longitudinally. up to a.depth appropriate for said headpiece. This orifice,.in turn communicates, through. one wall thereof, with asecondzorifice 4 parallel to the former one. This second orifice is of asmallercross-sectional diameter but. of greaterrlength .than the adjacent orificeLEI.

The distance between both orifices 3- an'd 4 issuch. that: at their point of: contact they form a narrow opening 5, the object of which will be made clear further on;

The-above described orifice 3i is. to contain a thread-carrying reel, essentiallycomposediofareel 6, on which the corresponding adequate thread I is wound. This thread is held in position by means ofa removable cover'8-j fitting in them'outh" of'the'orifice 3 in any con venient'fashion'. For example, saidlcover maybe provided, to this end, with..a round protuberance 9', which fitsilike. a stopper into the mouth of 'said'orifice.

In order that reel 6 may be kept perfectly guided for its rotation, both ends of same may be provided with two small projections Ill, semi-spherical or otherwise adequately shaped, which rest in two small cavities II and IiI', formed, respective- Of the user.

2, 1y; atbase of; orifice: 3 in the headpiece orbase' member Z andin the inside face of projection: 9

In turn; the removable cover 8 has:v a cylindrical I-Z fiXE'dZOII to: itiby a screw thread on othermeans, which stem -.fits.-tightlyagainstitheintennalr' surface of. orifice L- Its object will be seen' fure ther on.

Furthermore, it. will be; seen'. from therdrawings that armpiecel I bears on: its outside-arl'arrowi groove: I3, which runs from the'bottom of 'orificefl up' to: the. end It of said armpieoe, meanwhile; constantly. increasing in depth;; in-turm the oppo'isite armpiece I" carries arsimilarrgroove-Ifli omits outer. surface,.but which runs only for a shore length; On: theother: hand,'.thei free end of this armpiece. is: perforated axially wbwhole [5; in whichv a: screw I 6.:is adjustedby: rotation; This: screw is; provided. at. one. side with: a longitudinal: slot- I'I;, capable.v of. aligning: itself! with groove: I3 at; a. given moment;

The aboveementionedndeviceis operated as fol;- lows:

Through a slight pull; thread I: unwindse to a certain. extent fromv reel 6. The thread, imitsi passage throughorifice. 4 .is subjectedto pressureby stem I2 thus preventing morethread from coming out.

On emergingirom orifice 4, lthread I i's' m'ade to pass through grooves I31 and I 4 of armpiece: I;-' f im thisstate; the thread underconvenient.tension; asshownin Fi'gure-i; ismade to enter slot I1}. 01 screw I6, and groove I3.

The-threadds held in the slot I! F by pressure on the same against the side :oi'arm I by *theithumbs Then the resilient arm's I'a'nd'I are:- squeezed lightly to move their' respective tip: endsa closer together. While. holding the arms: under: this slight squeezing pressure, thescrew on threaded bo-lt I 6 1s turned in the bore I 5 -throng-hi anangleof approXimat'eIyQO to therebyldisalign the slot- IT. with groove I3 Turning ofxthef threadedbolt I li serves to wind' a small portion of the thread: around: the: shank of: the'bolt and secures this portion ofth'e thread 'I- between the:

underside of the notched bolt head and the top';

rim of: the here I 5 in1the tip end of arm: I Thus; thetthread f l will :be held in proper position at this end, and it is secured sufiiciently tight so that re lease-'of 'the squeezing action: on-the arms I i andr 'l will not pull it out. When the arms are released they tend to return to their normal spread-apart positions, and, as they do, an added tension is put on the strand of thread stretched between them. The return action of the resilient arms does not pull out more thread from the spool chamber 3, as

portion of thread, this is done by again turning screw [6 through a 90 angle untilthe notch l1 and groove iii are lined up in the position indicated in Figure 1, after such alignment, the

free end of thread I being thus entirely loose." Another slight pull at this thread will unwind.

a. new portion of same from reel 6 to be again held in position through the operation described above.

The invention as herein described will be readily'u'nderstandable and further explanations will not be-required by those versed in the matter.

:1 do not wish to be limitedto the precise construotion shown in this application and the samev may be'varied so long as the variation is within the scope-of a fair interpretation of the claims.

I claim:

1.? A'thread hold-er comprising, a hollow elongated base opening at one end, a pair of resilient outwardly diverging arms extending from the other end of the base, one of said arms having an elongated groove along its outer surface and a notch across the tip end thereof in alignment with the groove, said other arm having a threaded bore in its tip end and a longitudinal groove along a short portion of its outer surface, a threaded boltwith a notched head threaded into the bore of said last-mentioned arm, said notch in the bolt head being adapted to be turned into and out of alignment with said short longitudinal groove, said hollow base being formed as two connected elongated bores, the first bore being relatively larger in'c-ross-sectional diameter and shorter than; the second, a spool of thread rotatably mounted therein arranged to supply a strand of thread upwardly from said first bore into the second mentioned bore and to the outside of the base-upwardly along theelongated groove of the first mentioned arm, an end cap having a socket for. cooperating with a like socket in the bottom of. the said first bore for rotatably mounting said spool of thread, and an elongated member with an end mounted in the inner surface of said cap and extending-upward into saidsecond bore, to therebyyieldably squeeze the strand of thread leading from the spool to the outside of the base against the interior upper portion of the second bore, whereby upon spanning the free end of said thread strand between the notch in the tip end of the5first arm and the notch in the said bolt.

head, the arms may be pressed toward each cleansing of interdental and intermolar spaces having two armpieces, a headpiece, said armpieces being an integral part of th headpiece, said headpiece being in part axially perforated by first and second connecting elongated orifices of diiferent depths, a thread bearing reel mounted in said first orifice of lesser depth, a strand of thread wound on said reel, means for exerting pressure on the thread on its unwinding from the thread-bearing reel, said reel being mounted to rotate in the said first orific of lesser depth an'dbeing supported together with said means bye removable cover detachably fixed to the headpiece, said means extending into the second orifice, thread-guiding and thread-sustaining grooves formed in the external faces of said armpieces, and a screw formed with a slot mounted in the end of one of said armpieces adapted to securea portion of the free end of said thread.

other, and th bolt turned to thereby secure the return toward their normal position and provide spanned between tensionon the thread strand the saidarms.

12. Improvements in thread-holding pincers for- 3. In a dental floss holder, a pair of resilient diverging arms extending from an elongated hollow base containing a spool of dental floss, said base having a side aperture connecting with the spool chamber out of which feeds the strand of dental floss to and across the respective ends of the arms, a notch in the tip end of onearm, and a member with a notched head rotatably mounted in the tip end of the other arm, whereby upon manual squeezing of the arms toward each other .to shorten the space between the notched tip end of one arm and turning the said notched head of the other arm, the strand of fiossbecomes secured to the tip end of the said arm by said notched head and a release of the said manual pressure thereby provides tension on the strand of floss spanned across the respective ends of the arms, a closure cap secured in the end of said hollow base for holding said spool of floss in said base, and a rod carried by said cap extending into a hollow bore connecting with the spool chamber, said rod holding a portion of the fed out strand of floss, after it leaves the spool, to thereby prevent unwinding of the floss when the same is under tension by the resilient arms.

4. In a dental floss and spool holder of the forked-arm type having an elongated hollow base, said hollow base being formed as two connected elongated bores opening to the end of the base, a cap for covering the end of the base and for holding a spool of dental floss within the first of the said bores, and an elongated rod carried by said cap extending upward into the second of said bores in frictional engagement with the walls thereof, whereby the said rod resists the unwinding of the dental floss from a spool of dental floss supported by the cap over the end of the said hollow base.

DANIEL VIDAL FREYRE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Name 

